Mir vs. Silva: A Complete Guide to UFC Fight Night 61
The assortment of fights continues as the UFC is back once again this Sunday.
Heavyweights Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva and Frank Mir headline the Brazilian fight card as they look to get off their respective losing streaks. Lightweights Edson Barboza and Michael Johnson co-main event the event to add even more spark.
2014 saw some backlash toward the UFC's slate of events as many fell flat, but 2015 has been quality thus far. UFC Fight Night 61 continues the trend. It is a Fight Night card that has a lot of merit.
As with other Fight Night cards the undercard is not as pronounced. There may be several fans out there who do not know the fighters stepping inside the Octagon. This is your guide to each and every fight on the card, what division they are in, where to watch and predictions as well.
Let's jump right in to the action of UFC Fight Night 61.
Ivan Jorge vs. Josh Shockley
1 of 12
Division: Lightweight
Records: Ivan Jorge (25-4), Josh Shockley (11-3)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
The card gets underway with Jorge and Shockley in a battle that may put the loser in danger of being cut. Jorge is 1-1 in the organization, and Shockley is 0-1.
Shockley's UFC debut came against Josh Saggo, and it didn't make it out of the first round. Jorge defeated Keith Wisniewski, but then dropped a decision to Rodrigo Damm.
This fight is more about Shockley's future than anything else. It will tell us if he does have a serious future in the division. He is a 25-year-old prospect. Jorge will be able to test him wherever the fight goes. While the ceiling for Shockley may be higher, I do not expect him to reach it in this fight.
Jorge kicks off the card by finishing Shockley in the first round. He will hurt him on the feet and finish with a submission.
Prediction: Jorge defeats Shockley via submission in the first round
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Cody Gibson
2 of 12
Division: Bantamweight
Records: Douglas Silva de Andrade (22-1), Cody Gibson (12-5)
See it on: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
The final preliminary bout on Fight Pass features two quality bantamweights who have struggled in the past year.
Gibson is 1-2 in the UFC with a win over Johnny Bedford, and Andrade dropped his UFC debut to Zubaira Tukhugov last February.
Sometimes a lengthy absence from the cage has adverse effects for the returning fighter, and they cannot compete at a high level. I don't think that will be the case for Andrade. This will be his first break for several years. I suspect we will see a violent return.
Gibson will want to avoid the power of Andrade, who has 18 career TKO/KO finishes.
I predict a revitalized Andrade touches up Gibson early and often before landing the KO blow in the opening round.
Prediction: Andrade defeats Gibson by KO in the first round
Wendell Oliveira vs. TJ Waldburger
3 of 12
Division: Welterweight
Records: Wendell Oliveira (24-8), TJ Waldburger (16-9)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
The opening Fox Sports 1 preliminary bout features two underperforming, albeit exciting, welterweights.
Oliveira dropped his UFC debut against fellow UFC Fight Night 61 competitor Santiago Ponzinibbio. It was an 80-second KO loss. Waldburger has much more UFC experience under his belt, but it has been an up-and-down career for the American who is now on a two-fight skid.
This will be a competitive bout, but I think Waldburger pulls off the mild upset with his sly submission ability.
Waldburger's experience advantage will be the difference in this fight.
Prediction: Waldburger defeats Oliveira via submission in the second round
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Tiago Trator vs. Mike de la Torre
4 of 12
Division: Featherweight
Records: Tiago Trator (19-4), Mike de la Torre (12-4)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
The UFC matchmakers do an outstanding job of putting together closely matched bouts, but sometimes they also put fighters in favorable positions to showcase their skills. That is what this fight is set out to do for Trator.
Trator is on a 10-fight win streak, 1-0 in the UFC. He is a submission artist going against a fighter whose four losses are all via submission. It would be five losses, but Torre's 2014 rear-naked choke loss to Brian Ortega was overturned after a failed post-fight test from Ortega.
Torre is certainly not a punching bag in this fight, but his deficiencies are lined up perfectly with where Trator excels. The string of finishes on the Fight Night card continues with a Trator submission.
Prediction: Trator defeats Torre via submission in the first round
William Macario vs. Matt Dwyer
5 of 12
Division: Welterweight
Records: William Macario (7-2), Matt Dwyer (7-2)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Dwyer got the call to the UFC after a five-fight win streak that included the names of Shonie Carter and DaMarques Johnson. His organizational debut, however, did not go well. He was ousted by Albert Tumenov in just 63 seconds.
Macario was a contestant on the second season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. He made it to the finals before losing to Leonardo Santos. He returned with a win over Bobby Voelker and was one of Neil Magny's victims in 2014.
The Brazilian crowd will be behind Macario in full force. He is an aggressive fan-friendly fighter.
Patolino is a power puncher, and Dwyer will be Macario's sixth TKO/KO victim. He will not be able to avoid eating one to the jaw.
Prediction: Macario defeats Dwyer by KO in the first round
Jessica Andrade vs. Marion Reneau
6 of 12
Division: Bantamweight
Records: Jessica Andrade (12-3), Marion Reneau (5-1)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
The string of finishes will cease with this fight, the featured prelim of the card, but the excitement rolls on.
Reneau's UFC debut was not that exciting, but she was taking on a much larger fighter in Alexis Dufresne. We should see a better effort from her in her second bout.
Andrade dropped her UFC debut to Liz Carmouche but has since reeled off three straight in the organization. She is one of the division's most exciting fighters and an aggressive, all-around competitor. She finished Larissa Pacheco in her last fight by way of guillotine.
Look for this fight to be evenly contested early on. It will come down to whoever is more fresh in the third round. I lean toward Andrade.
Andrade has a high output in her fights. She consistently comes forward. Those are two things judges love. She will keep this up in the third frame to take the fight on the scorecards.
Prediction: Andrade defeats Reneau by unanimous decision
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Sean Strickland
7 of 12
Division: Welterweight
Records: Santiago Ponzinibbio (19-2), Sean Strickland (15-0)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
The main card opens with a great welterweight tilt that not many are talking about. These two prospects are going to impress as they try and move up in the division.
Ponzinibbio got back in the win column after dropping a decision to Ryan LaFlare. He TKO'd Wendell Oliveira in 80 seconds last September. Strickland boasts a perfect professional record. He kept that run going by upending Luke Barnatt by split decision in his last fight.
I favor Strickland in this matchup. I believe he has a bright future in the division, and he will keep that going in a hard-fought bout this weekend.
It will go the full 15 minutes, but Strickland takes full control of the fight.
Prediction: Strickland defeats Ponzinibbio by unanimous decision
Iuri Alcantara vs. Frankie Saenz
8 of 12
Division: Bantamweight
Records: Iuri Alcantara (31-5, 1 NC), Frankie Saenz (9-2)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Saenz made a successful UFC debut, but he was put into the deep end of the bantamweight pool for this fight.
Alcantara is a fantastic fighter. Since dropping to bantamweight, he has only lost to Urijah Faber. He is now on a three-fight win streak, and that is going to be extended to four on Sunday.
Alcantara is good on the feet and on the ground, but it is his striking that poses the biggest threat to his opposition. All of his UFC finishes have come by way of strikes. Another finish will be tacked on to his record when he pelts Saenz's face.
I am not expecting a competitive bout from this matchup.
Prediction: Alcantara defeats Saenz by TKO in the second round
Rustam Khabilov vs. Adriano Martins
9 of 12
Division: Lightweight
Records: Rustam Khabilov (17-2), Adriano Martins (26-7)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
There may not be a more unappreciated fight in the UFC than this lightweight tilt.
Martins has an underrated UFC career with wins over Daron Cruickshank and Juan Puig. His lone loss under the UFC umbrella came against Donald Cerrone. Khabilov also has a quality UFC record. His lone UFC loss came in his last bout against Benson Henderson.
Khabilov is a solid favorite because of his grappling and control. I expect that to be the course of this fight. Martins has a good guard, but it will be challenging to submit Khabilov without hurting him first. After the Henderson bout, Khabilov will return better than ever.
Martins will have his chances, but they won't pay off. Khabilov takes a decision.
Prediction: Khabilov defeats Martins by unanimous decision
Cezar Ferreira vs. Sam Alvey
10 of 12
Division: Middleweight
Records: Cezar Ferreira (8-3), Sam Alvey (24-6, 1 NC)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Alvey is one of the most unlikely exciting fighters in the division. He is 1-1 in the UFC. Ferreira was the middleweight winner on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. His total UFC record is 4-1.
Ferreira looked to be a legitimate prospect coming off the show, but in spite of his positive record he has failed to really show it in his performances. Alvey will be a tough task for the Brazilian.
If this fight ends early, it'll be because Ferreira has stopped Alvey. This is where Alvey's toughness comes in and will help him win this fight. After being unable to stop Alvey in the first, Ferreira will gas out. Alvey's pressure will go up.
Alvey gets a late stoppage on a tired Ferreira for a mild upset.
Prediction: Alvey defeats Ferreira by TKO in the third round
Edson Barboza vs. Michael Johnson
11 of 12
Division: Lightweight
Records: Edson Barboza (15-2), Michael Johnson (15-8)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
This is an outstanding lightweight fight and one that potentially has major ramifications in the division.
Champion Anthony Pettis takes on Rafael dos Anjos later this year, and top contenders Donald Cerrone and Khabib Nurmagomedov will also likely meet. After that, the UFC's list of contenders for the gold is incredibly thin. An impressive showing by Johnson, or especially Barboza, would put them into a prime position.
Barboza has back-to-back wins over Evan Dunham and Bobby Green, and Johnson is on a three-fight win streak of his own.
Johnson's improvement has been remarkable, and his ability to mix up his striking and wrestling makes him a big threat for Barboza's typical game plan. If Barboza can land his brutal leg kicks early and often it will make the takedowns easier to defend.
Johnson also has the power in his hands to stop Barboza.
This is the most difficult fight to predict on the card, but I favor Barboza's leg kicks. They are fight altering and second only to Jose Aldo. Barboza also mixes them up well from the legs to the head. He will beat on Johnson until one finally hurts him to cause a finish.
Prediction: Barboza defeats Johnson by TKO in the third round
Antonio Silva vs. Frank Mir
12 of 12
Division: Heavyweight
Records: Antonio Silva (18-6, 1 NC), Frank Mir (16-9)
See it on: Fox Sports 1
Yes, these two heavyweights are on losing streaks, but do not let that deter you on the fight. It should be exciting, it should have a finish and it means a lot in the lackluster heavyweight division.
Mir has lost four straight fights to top-of-the-line competition. Bigfoot is not a step down, but he will give Mir some advantages such as speed and athleticism.
Bigfoot is winless in his last three outings. His strength and power are his biggest assets in this fight.
One of Mir's biggest flaws is wilting against the cage. That is a strategy that Bigfoot should take to heart. He can move Mir to the fence and beat him up. Mir will have to circle away from the fence or be the one forcing the fight to remain in the center of the cage.
Neither fighter has the best chin, but Silva has the bigger target. Mir's improved striking will pay off by making him just enough of a threat that a takedown will come easier. Once Bigfoot is on his back against Mir the fight will be over shortly after.
Mir's submission finishing ability is second to none. He takes an appendage and torques it until Bigfoot taps.
Prediction: Mir defeats Bigfoot via submission in the first round
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